The Elf, the Cat, and the Cheshire Wolf
by ladymal
Summary: Down and down and through the mirror she goes. Where she ends up, nobody knows. There's a wolf and a tree and a party three; one lost elf, will she ever get free? Alice in Wonderland AU


A gift fic for destinyapostasy over on tumblr featuring their Lavellan, Ashanna. Will eventually include other connected one-shots but is a standalone, for now.

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There had been a mirror; twice her height and with a golden frame embedded with flowing rivers of lyrium. _An Eluvian_ , Ashanna remembered thinking. She'd never seen one before but the story of Clan Sabrae's find had been spread far—part boast and part cautionary tale—and somehow she had found another entirely by chance.

She had taken the halla over a day's journey from the clan—farther than she'd meant to but also not nearly far enough—and found a crumbling ruin overtaken by the wilds. While the halla grazed, she'd explored, trusting her very large and fierce cat, Dinah, to watch over the herd.

Except Dinah had been with her when...when she touched the Eluvian. Or had fallen into. Or been _pulled in_. She wasn't certain what had happened. Her memories were chaotic and painful to think about and when she tried to make sense of them, they only became even more confused like paints mixed with too much water.

She remembered falling—tumbling head over heels as if she was a coin that had been flipped into the air—and a young human with a wide-brimmed, floppy hat and sad eyes telling her that she had to make it stop. _It wants to hold on. Why would it let go unless you make it?_ That hadn't made much sense then and still didn't now but eventually she had slowed before suddenly dropping onto solid earth. A moment later, there had been a heavy thump and a discontented yowl by her feet as Dinah joined her in whatever strange place she'd found herself in.

 _The Fade?_ she wondered. But it didn't feel much like the Fade she remembered.

Magic didn't dance along her skin and fill her lungs with each breath as it did while she was dreaming. It was there but distant. The air smelled odd like rich soil made damp by the sea but there wasn't even the distant sound of crashing waves. There was a bitter scent, too, that was unfamiliar but brought to mind warmth and steam and an unhappy face. The wind was howling in her ears but when she finally opened her eyes, she saw that it wasn't the wind at all.

Above her, a strange creature with fur like blue ink and large, pink eyes that glowed was clinging by its tail to a dark branch. It blinked, head swiveling, and opened its mouth to let out another drawn-out, hollow whistle. There was an answering cry from the same tree and more eyes in many colors began to peek from the gloom; little lamps in the shadows.

Other creatures were stirring, following some unknown cue to return to whatever activities her arrival had interrupted. Dinah growled—high-pitched and throaty—as something between a giant rabbit and a cat went snuffling by. She stared, too dazed to be alarmed. Its ears dragged along the ground as it hopped her way; it's long, fluffy tail swooshing behind it. Purring, it paused to bury its face in her hair and it shook like a halla bothered by flies. A bit of dew scattered from its teal and lavender fur and landed on her face and then it was wandering into the trees without a second look.

Ashanna sat up as Dinah brought her bulk closer against her side, ears splayed and fur bristling, and it was only then that she noticed the wolf. Fear finally breaking through, she scrambled to her feet and reached for a staff that wasn't there. The wolf didn't move from where it was sitting a few feet away, just watched with its head cocked so far to the side that it was almost upside down.

She froze, forcing herself not to run even though every ounce of her being screamed for her to. The wolf was massive—taller than her by at least a foot—and coal black with an unnatural number of eyes in a stormy blue. They blinked. Not all at once but in a cascade that made a shiver dart down her spine even as a bit of fascination set in. Its tail flicked and it flexed its paws into the dirt in such a way that it almost seemed that it was fidgeting.

"Curious," it said.

Its voice was male with an unfamiliar accent but was distinctly that of a person's. _Creators, what is going on?_ she thought desperately. _Where am I?_

"You...you can speak," she said.

He straightened and at her feet, Dinah hissed a warning.

"And you can, as well. Which of us is the unusual one, I wonder?"

"I would think that is obvious." Ashanna shook her head. "What are you? A demon?"

A deep sigh welled up from within him and his smile was sardonic as he spoke a short rhyme.

 _Oh, Cheshire Wolf_

 _Oh, Cheshire Wolf,_

 _Wanderer contrite_

 _He met a Dalish elf_

 _And questions set to light._

"That wasn't an answer," she said warily.

"Was it not?" he asked but it was surprised rather than coy as if he had truly thought otherwise. "I would not think it matters, in the end. There is no answer I could give that would satisfy you. But no, I am no demon."

The wolf was correct; she wasn't satisfied but she set that aside for the moment.

"Is your name 'Cheshire Wolf?'" she asked.

He chuckled as if she'd told a clever joke and it wasn't at all the sort of chuckle a wolf should have; it was warm and breathy and ended with a snort that had her staring.

"To some. My name is Solas, if you please."

Politely but not deep, he inclined his head and she hesitated a beat before giving her own.

"Ashanna."

He blinked in the same, unsettling manner as before. "Excuse me?"

"My name. It's Ashanna."

"Ah, I see. May I ask how you came to be here, Ashanna?"

She hesitated again but the wolf—Solas—hadn't threatened her or moved from his spot, at all, and she was very, very lost. He may be able to tell her where she was, if nothing else, and he didn't seem unreasonable even if he was strange. Perhaps, she could even convince him to show her the way back to the Eluvian. It was Dinah that convinced her, however. The cat had settled though her ears and eyes were alert; if Solas became a danger, Dinah would let her know.

"I am not entirely sure," Ashanna said. Movement in the corner of her eye caught her attention briefly but when she looked, there were only the still shadows among the trees that had been there before. "There was a mirror called an Eluvian and I must have touched it, somehow. I was falling and then I was here. Wherever 'here' is."

"A question for all that live." Solas nodded sagely. His tail swooshed against the earth and suddenly half of it was missing, startling her. "I am truly sorry. Beware the trees. They are hungrier than they seem."

He was beginning to vanish into nothing, like dust scattered in the wind, and she could only stare in shock. When he was nothing more than a white, toothy grin hanging in the air, she snapped back to herself with a flare of panic.

"Wait!" She took a half-step forward, reaching. The wolf didn't reappear but he didn't disappear the rest of the way either.

There was a long moment where the forest itself seemed to hold its breath and then he reformed, as solid as ever.

"I apologize," he said. "It is...It's too easy to forget the things that one should remember."

"What should you remember? And what did you mean by, 'beware the trees'?"

"You will discover that for yourself, in time."

He lunged at her suddenly with a snarl that showed off every bit of his gleaming jaws. There was no time to do anything other than throw herself to the side with a choked-off scream. She whirled, calling on her magic, but Solas wasn't facing her. He was standing, feet apart and head lowered, between her and a giant tree that was skittering back by its roots. The other trees groaned and swayed before they all settled beneath his glare.

"It isn't safe here," he told her as he relaxed, "and there are others that you should meet."

Ashanna brought a hand to her forehead. True panic was beginning to take hold, making her heart race and her breaths shallow, but she tamped it down as much as she was able. Solas was walking away—either unknowing or uncaring of the fact that she had yet to follow—and she quickly scooped Dinah up into trembling arms before trotting to catch up.

"Who am I meeting?" she asked.

"Whoever we find first." He paused, considering. "Or whoever finds us, I suppose."

"Are they going to be as difficult as you?" she grumbled.

Solas grinned, slow and a little frightening. "You will learn, Ashanna, that we're all mad here."


End file.
